Don’t let anybody tell you we don’t do important work here at the Chronicle… which is why I spent a good chunk of my morning on a fact-finding mission to resolve the Great Lyric Debate of “Try a Little Tenderness” (check out tomorrow’s review of My Blueberry Nights to understand why). Specifically, I needed to know if Otis was talking about a shaggy or a shabby dress.
Tim Robbins already memorably mangled the lyrics in Bull Durham, so he was no help, and I clicked off Michael Bublé‘s singing-automaton version right after he humorlessly changed “young girls” to “women.” Eventually, I decided to go straight to the source – archival Otis Redding. Come for the “shaggy,” stay for the awesome performance. The overeager snare somewhat defuses the delicious tension of the song, but nonetheless – damn, that man was sexy.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...
More by Kimberley Jones
